The Diamond Boys
by XxxAnimaniacxxX
Summary: Brooke decided adopting three teenage boys was a fantastic idea. Kendall flirts, Carlos fights, and Logan just wants to be somewhere else. And James sits on the sidelines, trying to sort out these strange boys that sort of complete his messed up family. And a new home full of gangs and druggies and everything they don't want challenges them further. Kames, Cargan, other pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm aware this didn't win the poll. I don't care. I'd already written a good half of chapter 1, so I decided I'd finish it and publish it! XD I hope you guys like it!**

"We're moving," Brooke Diamond announced over breakfast.

Instantly the breakfast table fell silent. The four boys stared at her, eyes wide. "You can't be serious!" Kendall exclaimed. "Why the heck do we have to move?"

"Well, I think it'd be nice to have a change of scenery," Brooke replied optimistically, keeping a smile plastered on her face. "Don't you think so?"

"Mom, we like the Palmwoods!" Carlos argued. He'd been calling her mom for a while now; it was just a habit. "We've been moving around these dumb apartment blocks for ages and we finally found somewhere good! Where are we going now?"

Brooke Diamond was just insane. First the sudden adoption of three random messed up teenage boys as 'company' for her only child, and now this.

James sighed, staring down at his bowl of cereal. It was true. They had moved around a lot the past year. His dad had ditched them for a woman fifteen ears younger than him and taken most of the money. Since then they'd moved around a few cheap and run down apartment blocks, finally finishing off at the Palmwoods. It was their third try, and by far the best. It wasn't the cleanest and sometimes there were issues like no power, but they'd all liked it there. They'd been able to manage just fine. He liked the Palmwoods because on the top floor there was a door onto the roof, and he loved to sit up there away from his insane 'flatmates'.

Carlos liked the Palmwoods because there were a lot of guys around to hang out with, like a big gang that ruled the whole block. Carlos was a couple of months from turning seventeen, and Brooke had adopted him almost eighteen months ago. James was the closest to him out of the three, and he could probably honestly say he was one of his best friends. And he was really the only one James knew a lot about. Carlos's dad died when he was five or six, and since then his mother fell apart, turning to drugs to ease the pain. After losing her job and struggling with money for a few years, she eventually gave up and let Carlos put her in rehab. He was thirteen then, and sadly the social workers, having looked at his record, put him in a home. A home for bad kids, though that wasn't the official name. Carlos was always getting into fights with other boys, and nearly always winning too. He was strong and angry, but he liked most of the guys at the Palmwoods. They knew who was in charge.

Kendall liked the Palmwoods because his new boyfriend Dak lived only two doors down. Kendall was also sixteen, but younger than Carlos; he turned sixteen only a week or two after they adopted him just less than ten months ago. James didn't know much about Kendall at all. He knew his dad was in prison, but he didn't know why, when he got there or how long he'd be there. All he knew was that his mom had put him in a foster home about a year before they adopted him. Kendall never talked about his family, and only had one photo of them. He looked a lot like both of his parents, though James could tell he tried not to. His parents both had sort of thick brown hair, but Kendall dyed his blonde, along with adding some washout dye streaks of whichever random colour he felt like, whichever day he felt like it. He had a pierced belly button and tongue, along with five silver rings in his left ear, and he was truthfully a bit of a slut. He wore the tightest clothes he possibly could, wearing his jeans low on his hips so that whenever he wore a g string you could see the top when he bent forward. He'd slept with at least six different guys everywhere they'd lived in the past year, and sucked off plenty of others. Probably most of the male population in the surrounding area. James often wondered what went on in that boy's head.

Though he wouldn't admit it, Logan liked the Palmwoods too. He liked it because they had this small park at the back, where he could sit and read to himself or listen to his iPod. Logan was fifteen and was adopted only four months ago. James didn't know what happened to his dad. But he knew recently his mom died in an accident, resulting in his placement in a foster home. But just because Logan liked where he lived, didn't mean he liked the people he lived with. Most of the time he wanted absolutely nothing to do with them, sitting in a corner and reading some book, making no effort to talk to them. Of course they had all tried, but they were unsuccessful.

"Well, we'll be leaving these blocks for good. We're moving into a house a couple of miles from here."

This instantly caused uproar.

"Mom, we can't afford a house!"

"I have a gang to take care of, they're totally lost without me!"

"I won't get to see Dak, this is so unfair!"

Brooke sighed, turning to look at the dark-haired boy sitting at the end of the table. "What do you think, Logan?"

"Huh?" Logan looked up from his medical book. He gave a feeble shrug. "I don't really care," before going back to reading.

"Well, boys, I have found a house. I looked at it online, and it's a lovely place. I'm sure we'll be very happy there."

"Yeah, you think," Kendall snapped, taking out another piece of gum from what seemed like an endless supply and popped it into his mouth. "This is so stupid!"

"Oh, don't get all bitchy just because you can't see your pervert of a boyfriend!" Carlos teased him.

"He's not a pervert!" Kendall snarled.

"I think the law would—"

"Shut the fuck up, like you ever obey the law you asshole!"

"Get over yourself you skank!"

"BOYS!" Brooke screamed, silencing them. "Stop it!"

Carlos glared at Kendall. Kendall blew out a large bubble of pink gum at him, popping it inches from his face with a smirk.

Brooke sighed, standing up. "We'll talk about this later. Right now, I'm going to go work. Clean up the table, will you?"

It was Sunday, so they had no school. Brooke, however, worked seven days a week in some community centre thingy down the street. James honesty didn't know much about it. And if he was totally honest, he didn't care all that much either. He picked up his tea and drained the rest of the cup, grimacing as it slid down his throat. He hated cold tea. It was so gross.

Kendall had gone back to his texting, perching his feet up on the table as he popped the piece of gum that matched the pale pink streaks running through his hair. Yesterday it was black. His hair was just bipolar or something. Carlos was looking over at him, then he burst into some sort of rage that seemed both teasing and just plain furious. "Dude, stop sexting him! He's such a perv!"

"Mind your own business, Carlos!" Kendall yelled back, standing up and shoving his phone in his pocket, cheeks red. "You don't know anything!"

"I do know one thing, and that's that your boy toy is—"

"Carlos!" James warned. "Don't say it again. Seriously."

"Whatever," Carlos huffed, folding his arms.

There was a knock on the door and Kendall hurried over to answer it, obviously knowing who it was. "Hey, baby," Dak greeted once the door was open.

"Hi," Kendall replied, standing on his toes and kissing Dak, who was a lot taller than he was. Instantly Dak's arms were around him and they were in the middle of a steamy make out session, Dak's hands moving down to squeeze Kendall's butt in his tight ass jeans. Carlos was making a face at them, and James couldn't help feeling a little disgusted too, especially when he heard Kendall give a weak moan. Maybe Carlos was right.

Dak was almost twenty, and Kendall ignored everybody's warnings about dating him and got straight to it. Some nights he would go over there and wouldn't be back until the next evening. At first Brooke had yelled at him for it, but when he just rolled his eyes and ignored her, she eventually gave up.

Kendall finally pulled back, breathless and took Dak's hand, leading him out. "Later, guys!"

The door slammed shut. Only a minute later Carlos hopped up too. "I'm gonna go hang out with the guys!"

"You're meant to be cleaning!" James protested, but he was already gone. And when Logan's response was simply to get up and walk out of the room with his book, James sighed and got to work.

They were such a family of fuck ups, weren't they?

When James had finished all his (their) chores, he decided he might as well do some homework. He tended to leave it all for Sunday evening, but he had nothing better to do. Still, if he wasn't going to be in school the next couple of days . . .

James put his homework down and went to play video games instead.

When he got hungry, he went to look in the fridge for food. Nothing interesting or mildly appealingly he sighed, shutting it again. Maybe when they moved p, his mom might be able to pull it all together a little easier. Maybe. Ever since Dad left, she hadn't always seemed all there.

Carlos hurried back into the apartment, teeth gritted. "That idiot!"

"What?" James walked over to him. "Who, one of the gang?"

"No. Kendall!" Carlos rolled his eyes. "It's kind of funny, actually."

"Oh dear God." James facepalmed. "What happened?"

"Well, I was out with the guys, and they were gonna go hang out at the slate park so I led them to it. I was coming back here right, and then as I was walking past the stairwell up to the balconies . . . I heard it."

"Heard what?" James asked impatiently.

"The moaning." Carlos made a face. "I look in that little gap under the steps, it's half hidden by the wall. And there's Dak, pants around his ankles, moaning—"

"Oh God." James's eyes widened. "Is Dak cheating on him?"

"No way. I wish; then maybe he'd see sense." Carlos rolled his eyes. "So there's Kendall, on his knees, sucking Dak off. It was gross. I was barely there two seconds when Dak just grabs Kendall by the arms and lifts him up, ripping his pants off —I gotta hand it to him though, he works fast— and he's there pushing Kendall up against the wall and lifting his legs up when I feel I have to step in, y'know?"

"Oh God." James hid his face in is hands. "What did you do?"

"Well, I just barged in, demanding Dak step away or I would have to take action. Considering fucking a minor is illegal. Then Kendall got really mad, getting dressed and coming over to give me a right old mouthful. So then he told me to piss off and Dak went to push him to the wall again, and I decided . . . I'll kick him."

"Oh, no—"

"Where it hurts."

"No, ugh!" James was horrified. "So what happened then?"

"Well, I warned him one last time, and I left them there figured I'd let them all it out themselves." He chuckled. "If all went well, he shouldn't be home for another few hours. But if not—"

Then the apartment door opened and Kendall stormed in. "You jerk!" he shouted. "You stupid jerk!"

Carlos gave a sigh. "Well, what happened?"

"He dumped me!" Kendall yelled, shoving Carlos angrily. "He fucking dumped me, all because of you!"

"Because of me?" Carlos couldn't resist playing a bit. "Are you sure it's not because you won't be putting out anymore?"

At this, Kendall lost it. "You asshole!" he screamed, lunging at Carlos. "I hate you!"

James leaped forward and grabbed Kendall around the waist, tugging him back. "Kendall, stop!"

"I'm gonna fucking kill him!" Kendall shrieked, squirming in James's arms. "He has to wreck everything for me!"

"Oh please, you wrecked everything for yourself, you whore!" Carlos yelled, a smirk on his face. "No wonder Dak dumped you, he probably figured you were fucking other guys behind his back! No wonder your parents gave you up!"

Kendall stopped. James gasped. Carlos's eyes widened, and it was clear even he knew he'd gone too far.

Kendall wasn't trying to attack him anymore, so James let him go. He walked to the side so he could see Kendall's face. He just looked shocked. "Kendall . . . he didn't mean—"

SMACK!

Carlos squeaked in pain, holding his stinging cheek. "Ow!"

Kendall was laughing, eyes narrowed. "You jackass. You don't know shit." Then before anyone else could react, he slapped Carlos's other cheek even harder, before turning and flouncing out of the room, chuckling to himself.

James stared at Carlos with wide eyes. "That was weird."

Carlos nodded, both hands on his bright red cheeks. "I expected him to like, scream or cry. Or both. Didn't think he'd laugh. Or hit me."

"Well, did you want him to cry?" James asked worriedly. Because while Carlos and Kendall really pushed each other's buttons, he didn't think either of them would ever sink that low. "Is that why you said it?"

Carlos shook his head. "No way. I . . . I don't think so, anyway." He bit his lip. "I didn't want to hurt him. Why can't he get I'm just looking out for him?"

"He just has no idea what he can get himself into," James sighed. "We'll get through to him some day. Maybe. Hopefully."

Carlos shrugged, then smiled. "Wanna watch tv?"

They sat down in the living room, feet thrown up on the coffee table. They watched tv for the next three hours, flicking through the channels mindlessly. "There's nothing great on during the day," Carlos sighed. "It's bloody annoying."

"During the weekdays it's worse." James chuckled. "Still, it is because everybody's meant to be at work, or school." Emphasis on that last word.

Carlos rolled his eyes. "Whatever, that school is crap anyway. Think we'll be going to a new one when we move?"

"I dunno. Depends on how far away we are; Mom never told us. We'll probably be walking or taking a bus, so it can't be too far away."

"I hate our school," Carlos sighed, "The teachers hate me."

"No they don't. They just think you should try harder. And don't appreciate when you bunk off . . ."

"Whatever. You've got no problem."

James chuckled. "Except Mr Smith. He's an ass to everybody, isn't he? He just hates life in general."

"He doesn't hate Logan. Then again, Logan is a total nerd."

"I guess so." James leaned back and sighed,mutating at the ceiling. "All the teachers like Logan. I think school's about the only thing he enjoys since we met him." He paused. "He likes Kendall too, doesn't he?"

"Logan?"

"No, Mr Smith. He's always praising him."

Carlos laughed. "Honestly, James. Mr Smith is a pervy old creep. Always making rape faces at Kendall, why do you think he gets those good grades?" He sighed again. "All he has to do is wear a tight pair of shorts to school and he aces algebra. It's so easy."

"Whatever. Don't talk about school anymore." James bit his lip. "Do you miss your mom?"

"Yeah. I do."

He said nothing else. So James said nothing else.

Then he heard the apartment door open and looked up. "Mom?" he called.

"I made dinner!" Brooke called, carrying in a paper bag that smelled of Chinese food.

"Sweet!" Carlos cheered, running over and taking the bag before going over to the table with it. "Thanks, Mom!"

James walked over to the table with glasses and a bottle of Pepsi from the fridge. He set out knives and forks as he heard Brooke yelling for Kendall and Logan to come in to the kitchen. They never used chopsticks; they were messy enough without them.

Logan arrived with one earphone in his ear, looking unimpressed at the food selection. "Chinese, again?"

"We had it almost a week ago," James said patiently to him. They always felt they should be patient with Logan, because he was the most recent arrival and probably missed his old life.

Kendall walked in next, texting on his phone. He looked up. "What is it, Mom?"

"Are you texting Dak?" Carlos demanded.

"No! Piss off! I can text other people if I want to!"

"We're having dinner, Kendall," Brooke said to him, smiling.

"Oh." Kendall's expression turned from angry to what looked like worry. He stepped backwards. "I, I'm not really hungry, thanks."

James and Carlos exchanged glances. They never really got what this behaviour was all about, but it happened really frequently.

"It's Chinese."

"I know, but . . . I dunno . . ."

"Come on, honey." Brooke sounded so gentle as she talked to him. "I got your favourite. Come on, just eat a little bit."

"Um . . . ok. I'll have a little."

"Good. Sit down."

Kendall sat down, cheeks pink as he stared at the table, pocketing his phone. James handed him his food without a word, but gave him a friendly smile. Kendall smiled back.

Yep. James really didn't understand him.

They opened their boxes and began to eat, in silence at first. Then Brooke spoke up. "Ok, tomorrow we're going to have to get things organised. Well, you four are. I'll be working again."

"We have school," Carlos said uncertainly. His face lit up. "Does that mean we can ditch? Awesome!"

"You ditch half the time anyway, you bad boy." Brooke was smiling. "But we don't really have another option. We've got to get everything packed, we'll be signing off this apartment on Tuesday."

"So, it's really a house, Mom? With a garden and everything?" James asked. He'd always lived in apartments, whether they were large fancy ones when his dad was around or shitty ones like this.

"Yes, it is. And there are pets allowed."

"Can I get a cat?" Kendall asked suddenly, for once not sounding like a hooker or just a brat, and more like a sweet sixteen-year-old. "Please?"

"Of course, sweetie! We could get more than one of we wanted to. And maybe a dog."

"Will I get my own room?" Logan asked, trying not to sound hopeful, though he wasn't fooling anyone.

"Maybe. I'm sure there's room for that," Brooke smiled, delighted he was joining in on the conversation.

They'd always had to share rooms. When it was just James and Carlos they were fine, with a room each and a room for Mom. Then Kendall arrived, and was put in Carlos's room because he had more space, less furniture and possession to take up space. But that didn't work out too well, with the two literally at each other's throats 24/7. Any guy Kendall had with him often resulted in a fight because Carlos coincidentally wanted to be in his room too. Eventually Brooke had tired of it and moved Carlos in with James, leaving Kendall with the room to himself, which he loved. Now Kendall and Logan shared. James liked it this way. If he was to pick a favourite of his new family, it would definitely be Carlos. But his own room again would certainly be nice.

"I guess a house does sound nice," Carlos admitted, grinning. "Have you been to see it?"

"Not in person, but I went to the council and the girl there showed me photos on the computer. And I got our notice, so everything is signed and settled. I'm glad you're all getting excited now."

And the truth was, they were. Maybe moving wouldn't be so bad after all.

**Tell me what you think of the four guys :) and tell me what you think of the chapter in general! XD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, here's chapter 2 :P hope you like it!**

"Kendall, are you done yet?" James asked, knocking on the bathroom door.

"No!"

"But I wanna brush my teeth!" James whined. "I feel like I swallowed a fuzzball!"

"Come in then! I'm decent!"

James wasn't sure whether to believe him or not, but he opened the door and walked in. Kendall was standing in front of the mirror above the sink, humming as he squirted some blue washout dye onto his hand from a plastic tube, before sliding his hands up through his hair and rubbing it in. Some blue streaks through his bangs, some blue splotched along the back and the sides, one or two over the top. James watched the whole procedure, slightly fascinated. Kendall washed the dye off his hands and stepped aside to give James room. "Go on, I'm not stopping you."

James stepped forward and reached for his toothbrush, watching as Kendall held up a black eyeliner pencil and started smudging under his eye and over the tips of his eyelids. "You must have steady hands," James commented, his mouth full of frothy toothpaste. So it came out as complete gibberish.

"You look rabid or something," Kendall giggled.

James spat into the sink. "Thanks, blondie."

Kendall turned and walked to the shelf on the opposite wall, standing on his toes and grabbing his little zip up pouch. James tried not to take to much notice when his tight black v neck rode up and he saw the neon blue thong peeking out from under his white skinny jeans. He took down the pouch, putting the eyeliner and hair dye back in before leaving the bathroom. James sighed and went back to brushing his teeth.

Should've figured he'd be dressed like that. He'd just left a relationship. It was moving-on-to-bigger-dicks day. And it happened every time Kendall and a boyfriend ended their relationship. Sometimes, Kendall would go around, looking to see if there was anyone he could get over the latest boy toy with. Other times, a guy or two would pretty much be lined up at the door, ready for rebound sex. It happened every time, without fail. James wondered who it would be this time. Maybe the guy working on the construction sight by block 3, he'd seen him and Kendall making those eyes at each other once . . . he could've been Kendall's type. Tall, dark . . . though he had a beard, James wasn't sure if Kendall went for those. Probably felt all scratchy and weird when you kissed them.

Did Kendall even have a type?

When he'd finished in the bathroom, James went into the living room to watch tv with Carlos. After a while negotiating earlier that morning, they had decided to split up the packing evenly. They would all pack their own stuff, then Carlos and James would take care of everything in Brooke's room, Kendall would take care of all the stuff in the kitchen and Logan would pack up anything else lying around. They needed a lot of cardboard boxes for their packing, so Logan had immediately volunteered and gone to get some from the supermarket. He probably couldn't wait to get away from them, even if it was only for a little while.

Kendall was sprawled out on the armchair, face buried in a book as he read intently. He wasn't sure exactly how it was possible, but Kendall was actually pretty intelligent. And he liked to read a lot. Right now he was absorbed in 'Catching Fire', biting his lip as his eyes skimmed over the pages. Probably fantasising about Finnick Odair fucking him against a jungle tree or something. Or maybe Beetee; he did tend to have a thing for older people. Maybe his type was just guys over eighteen—

Then there was a knock on the door. When neither Carlos nor Kendall budged, James sighed and got up to answer it. Wayne Dooley stood outside the door, clad in his usual black clothing, silver rings in place on his fingers as usual. Wayne was just eighteen, as far as James knew. And not a very bad guy, if he was honest. Well, his life choices weren't great, but he wasn't a bad person.

"Hey," Wayne greeted, trying to appear friendly and cute. Sort of. "Jason, right?"

"James," James corrected with a sigh.

"Right, sorry. Is Kendall around?"

_Of course._ James gritted his lip. The temptation to say no was overwhelming. It really, really was—

"Wayne, hi!"

_Dammit._ James reluctantly stopped away from the door as Kendall walked over, green eyes glinting. Carlos got up and walked up to James, he turned and raised his eyebrows at him. Carlos gave a disgusted sigh. "The bigger dick has arrived," he murmured. James had to bite his lip to ensure he didn't laugh.

"Hey, Kendall," Wayne grinned, leaning against the doorframe casually. "How are you doing?"

"Oh." Kendall gave a long sigh. "I'm alright, I guess. But I miss Dak."

Carlos rolled his eyes.

"That's too bad," Wayne cooed, stepping inside the door and resting a hand on Kendall's waist. "You know, if you ever need someone to lean on, I'm here for you."

_Oh, for goodness sake!_ James sighed. As if it wasn't obvious that Wayne was suggesting more than a 'shoulder to lean on'. But the worst thing was probably that Kendall knew this. And he played it up as much as he could.

"That's so sweet," Kendall grinned, lifting a hand up and resting it on Wayne's bicep. "You're such a great guy. How are you single?"

"Oh, you know. I like to play." Wayne gave a nonchalant shrug. "I hear you like to play too."

"And who gave you that idea?" Kendall asked innocently, batting his eyelashes up at him and giggling.

"A few people, here and there." Wayne smirked. "Well? You up for anything with me?"

And this was the killer move. When Kendall's lips pouted, his eyes widened and he said in this cutesy, innocent little voice, "I don't know." This was the line that drove them all crazy. It made them wild for the chase. Not that they really need to do too much chasing.

Carlos turned to James and made very convincing vomiting gestures. James chuckled, before turning to call Kendall, "Don't forget you need to pack up all the kitchen stuff!"

"I know!" Kendall replied, waving him off and still smiling at Wayne. "I'll take care of it later."

James grabbed Carlos's arm and dragged him back to the living room, sitting down in front of the tv. "Let's wait until Logan gets back with the boxes, and then we'll start packing," he suggested.

Carlos grunted in response, changing the channel to an ancient episode of Friends.

James turned to watch, knowing Carlos didn't feel like talking. Which was fine. James didn't even know why he was so into talking lately, about feelings or their school or their home lives or whatever shit it was. He really needed to stop that. Nobody wanted to hear it.

"I'm back!" Logan called, walking past Kendall and Wayne with arms full of cardboard boxes stacked and piled together. He dumped them on the floor of the kitchen and slumped back down on the living room, picking up one of his medical journals.

Grabbing a few boxes, James and Carlos went into Brooke's room, taking her clothes out of the drawers and dumping them on the bed, ready for packing. "What do we have to leave out?" Carlos checked. "Some clothes for the night, and something for tomorrow. Is that it?"

James nodded. "As far as I know . . . if she needs anything else, she can take it out later."

They finished emptying out her drawers, piling up all the clothes on the bed. They started with shoes, and then all of Brooke's tights and socks, then all her jeans and trousers. One box full. She had a lot of clothes. And when the clothes were packed, they moved on to her possessions. Magazines, and jewellery, and a couple of books . . .

Carlos picked up a magazine, his jaw dropping. "James! Look at this!"

James walked over. "What?" He glanced at the cover. "It's a mothercare magazine. So what?"

Carlos chuckled. "I guess it's been so long since you were a baby she's forgotten how to do everything."

"What are you talking about?"

Carlos flicked thought the magazine. "Look, it's all about advice on pregnancy and dealing with a newborn kid added to your family . . ."

"So what? That doesn't mean anything," James replied uncertainly.

"Look at the date on it, you dumbass!" Carlos thrust the cover on his face. "She bought this last month. Why would she only recently buy a magazine about pregnancy and newborn children? Use your brain, Diamond!"

James thought about it for a second. Then his eyes widened. "Oh my God. She's pregnant!"

Carlos clapped slowly, expression dull. "Congratulations." He tossed the magazine aside. "Well, now we know why she's moving us, don't we? So there's space for her new kid."

James facepalmed. "Why would she have another kid?" he groaned. "I mean, it was crazy enough that she adopted you three weirdos—"

"Hey, that's offensive! But I totally agree." He sighed. "Should we tell the others?"

"I guess so. Maybe we should have a family meeting or something. Isn't that what they do on tv?"

"Yeah, I guess we're considered a family." Carlos left the room and James followed him, walking down the hall to Kendall and Logan's room. "Hey, skank and geek!" Carlos called, opening the door.

Instantly James groaned, blocking his eyes and looking away. Because what he'd seen in that second wasn't something he wanted to see again. There was Wayne, lying spread-eagled on the bed, with Kendall seated in his lap, hands on his own cheeks to pull them apart as he rode Wayne's dick. They stopped their movements when Carlos and James came in, Kendall looking over his shoulder at them.

Carlos glared at him. "You whore!"

"Whatever." Kendall rolled his eyes. "Can't you guys leave? We're in the middle of something here."

"We're having an important family meeting," James explained, still shielding his eyes from the scene. Ok, maybe he wasn't a stranger to this himself, but he didn't wanna see it happening in his own apartment! And not with Kendall either . . . ick.

"Give me ten minutes," Kendall sighed, giggling when Wayne's large hands moved to squeeze his hips and rock him forward lightly.

"We'll start without you," Carlos threatened, apparently completely unfazed by what was happening.

"Five, then! Come on, please?"

Carlos scoffed. "You're unbelievable."

Kendall turned to look at James, bottom lip jutting forward in a pout. "Jamie?"

James slowly moved his hands down from his face. He tried not to look at the dick Kendall was sitting on. He took a look at Kendall's face, groaning internally when he saw those big, watery green eyes and those pouty lips. _Dammit_ . . . "Fine. Five minutes. I'll be timing you!"

He quickly pushed Carlos out of the room and shut the door, just as Kendall started sliding up and down again and whimpering out Wayne's name.

"Why do you have to give in whenever he asks you something?" Carlos demanded.

James turned to grin sheepishly at him. "Hey, at least those two are closer in age."

Carlos rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He walked into the living room and fetched Logan, and they all walked into his and James's room. James sat on the bed, while Logan simply sat by the wall and zoned right out again. Carlos stayed standing, leaning against the wall with his arms folded.

A few minutes later and Kendall walked into the room, Carlos sighing in disgust. Kendall was wearing a massive navy blue sweater, that thankfully covered him up. Just about. No pants. He sat down in the chair by James's desk. "Seriously, Kendall?" Carlos sighed.

"Well I wanted to make sure I got here on time," Kendall shrugged. "I had to wait for Wayne to get dressed, then let him out. Didn't have time for pants."

James glanced at his watch. "It's only been three minutes," he said, puzzled.

"Oh." Kendall gave a smirk. "I work fast, what can I say?"

James rolled his eyes. "Right, time to commence the family meeting." He turned to Carlos.

Carlos held out the magazine, tossing it on the floor so they could all see it. "We found this in Mom's room."

Kendall's eyes widened as he looked at it. "She's pregnant?" He burst out laughing. "Well, that was dumb."

"Hey!" James snapped.

"It was! What's she doing having another kid when she already has the four of us?" Kendall sighed, poking the magazine with his foot. "It's so fucking stupid. She moves us all away from what we know because she decided 'Hey, forget the condom! I have room for one more!'"

"Don't be such a bitch," Carlos snapped.

"I'm just being honest. You know we're all thinking it," Kendall shrugged, stretching and yawning.

"Close your legs, will you," Carlos snapped.

"They are closed, sweetie. Just one quick question. Why are you looking there?" Kendall asked with a smirk.

He was just teasing, of course, but Carlos immediately took the bait. "Oh my god, just go get dressed and stop with this slutty act! How can you not have time for pants?!"

Completely unfazed, Kendall just laughed and replied, "They take some time to put on, Carlos. They're not the loosest of clothing."

Carlos couldn't help laughing. "Well they wouldn't be, trying to squish them up over your fat ass thighs, skank."

He was joking. And Kendall was joking. But instead of making a witty retort, Kendall kicked the magazine across the floor and stood up. "I'm gonna go pack." The door slammed shut after him.

James and Logan turned to glare at Carlos. "Why is it always my fault?!" Carlos demanded. "He started it!"

James just shrugged. Logan did the same, standing up. "I'm going to watch tv." And he was gone.

"Are we diseased or something?" Carlos wondered, sitting down where Kendall had been and spying. "Whatever. I'm gonna pack my stuff."

"I'll leave you to it, then," James shrugged, getting up and leaving the room too

James walked into the kitchen to see stacks of plates, cups, bowls and other stuff piled up on the table. Kendall was taking boxes of cereal from the cupboards and setting them on the counter, along with a wrapped up half loaf of bread. Then he started taking some stuff from the fridge too. "I think Mom said we'll be giving stuff like milk and meat to the neighbours," James spoke up. "Because it'll be spoiled by the time we get to the new place."

"I know," Kendall replied, closing the fridge again and walking towards the counter. He sighed, eyes on the very top shelf. The top of the whole dresser, really. "All the jam jars and shit are up there . . ."

"Well, we don't use them as often," James shrugged. He watched Kendall try to lift a leg up and climb on the counter. And fail miserably.

"Mind giving me a hand?" Kendall asked with a laugh. "It's a pain in the ass to climb up here, so . . ."

"Yeah, sure." James walked forward slowly and took hold of Kendall's slim hips, clothed in that giant sweater, before lifting him up carefully. Kendall's lifted his legs and planted them on the counter, straightening up once James pushed him up by his back.

"Thanks," Kendall smiled, reaching up over the top of the dresser to take the jars and little containers in his hands. He ran his hand over the top of the dresser and stood up on his toes, reaching forward to grab the last one. The sweater rode up and James squeaked, looking away immediately.

"What's wrong with you?" Kendall asked, completely unaware that if James glanced up he'd be able to see everything under that sweater.

"Nothing!" James murmured, eyes firmly on the floor. _Don't look up, don't look up . . ._

Though if he did, Kendall probably wouldn't notice. So did it really matter . . .?

"Can you help me get down?" Kendall asked, leaving the jars on a low shelf that'd be easy to reach later on. James nodded and lifted his arms as Kendall bent down and held onto his shoulders. James lifted him off the counter and placed him gently on the floor. "Thanks," Kendall chirped, winking cheerfully at him before reaching up to grab the jars. The sweater rode up again and James started coughing explosively, before hurrying out of the room to pack his own things.

It didn't take him long. His parents had split up long ago, and back then he'd had plenty. Not so much anymore. He'd grown out of most of it; he was twelve or maybe thirteen when their marriage ended. He didn't even know why; his mother had never told him. And for a few years they'd been able to live in their old, lush apartment while his father lived somewhere else. But then he'd decided he wanted the apartment back. It was good for those times he stayed in Minnesota.

He'd soon packed up all his clothes and all his stuff. A couple of books, and a CD or two. He shut the box with a sigh. He walked out as he heard Brooke walk into the apartment, armed with paper bags of McDonald's. "I made dinner!"

The kitchen stuff was all packed up, so they just ate from the bags. "Come eat something, Kendall," Brooke called, holding up his bag. "I got you a chocolate shake too."

"I don't wanna eat, Mom," Kendall said quickly, grabbing a can of coke from the fridge. "I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure, Kendall?" Brooke asked.

Carlos turned to give James a puzzled glance.

"I feel sick. A stomach bug, I think. I just don't feel like eating."

"Well, I'll keep some for you, alright?"

Kendall grunted to show he'd heard, but he was already leaving the room. James wondered if it had to do with what Carlos had said to him. But that didn't make sense, Carlos made fun of him all the time.

He probably did feel sick. Maybe he swallowed too much cum or something. James lifted the top bun off his cheeseburger, stuffed some fries inside the bun and decided not to think about it anymore.

"Boys," Brooke spoke up. "I have some news."

"You're pregnant," Carlos replied bluntly, stuffing his face with fries. "We know. We found the magazine in your room."

"Oh." Brooke's face turned red. "Well . . . yes. I'm a good thirteen weeks along at this point, I've started to show a little."

Not one of the three boys decided to mention they hadn't noticed a thing.

"I know this is a big change for you boys, but it's for the best. A house will be better for all six of us."

"I guess so," James muttered begrudgingly, taking a large bite out of his cheeseburger. He still wasn't exactly in the mood to leave their home for an entirely different one. But they didn't gave much choice.

After dinner, Brooke went into her room for a rest, and Logan and Carlos went to watch tv. James went too, and sat with them for all of half an hour until his mom's yelling voice echoed through the hallway, instructing him to give Kendall his food. She sounded serious. Hmm.

James sighed, getting up and grabbing Kendall's food and shake. It was all stone cold anyway. Still, he didn't think Kendall would mind much. The door to Kendall and Logan's room as slightly ajar, and James could hear Kendall talking. He walked in quietly, standing in the doorway and clenching the top of the bag.

"Look, I said no," Kendall said impatiently, sitting on the bed with his back against the wall. He hadn't noticed James yet. "I dunno why you can't understand that."

James stopped, listening to him rant at whoever was on the other end.

"If you dare come over here, you're gonna wish you never met me! I don't see why you'd even care, you're the one who broke up with me!"

Oh. He was talking to Dak.

"Piss off! You don't know anything about me, you jerk! Stop acting like you do!" Kendall hung up and tossed the phone aside, before giving a long sigh and running a hand through his blonde and blue hair.

"Kendall?"

Kendall's head snapped towards the door. "Were you listening in?" he demanded.

"Maybe a little bit," James replied awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I was just—"

"What do you want, James?"

"I came to bring you your food." James placed the paper bag on the bed. "Whenever you feel like eating it. Mom just said to give it to you."

"Thanks. I feel a little better now." Kendall picked up the bag, opening it and taking out some fries. "So, um . . . bye, James."

"Oh, right! Sorry." James left the room quickly, waking down into his own room. He picked up the sweatpants he'd left out of the boxes for the night, and was gonna change when he remembered he left his black wife beater out by the laundry hamper. He sighed and left his room again, spotting Kendall again in the hallway, walking back into his room and smiling briefly at him before shutting the door firmly.

James stared at the door for a second, puzzled. Then he made his way into the kitchen, going straight to the bin and opening it up. Well, now he knew where Kendall's dinner had gone. He shut it again, going to grab his top and go back to his room.

* * *

"Get your ass up!"

James groaned, hiding under the covers as Carlos slapped him on the back. "Get up, you ass! We're leaving in a little bit."

James rolled out of bed with a groan. "Do I have to?"

"Yes! Now go get some clothes on."

James did as he was asked, and they are a very quick breakfast of pastries Brooke bought in the supermarket, before getting ready to move everything down to the ground outside.

"I already got some of the guys to give us a hand," Carlos said to James as several of the boys from his gang of friends walked in and started picking up furniture, some of it taken apart for easier transport.

"Ok, we all have jobs to do," Brooke told them. "Carlos and James, I want you to help these boys bring the furniture down, and try not to let them damage anything. Kendall and Logan, I want you to help me clean this place up a little bit. Then you can start taking the boxes down to the van. The driver's an old colleague of your dad's, I still had his phone number. He'll help us get our things over there."

The four boys got to work, James and Carlos taking hold of a kitchen chair each and taking them out of the apartment and along the railing of balconies. Down the stairs, lifting them up into the van. Carlos's gang were hard at work, laughing loudly and patting each other on the back as they heaved furniture into the van.

When James and Carlos walked back up, Logan was scrubbing at the stove and Kendall was on all fours on the floor, scrubbing out an ancient stain in the tiles. His dark-washed denim shorts were riding up a little, and they barely covered his ass as it was. James bit his lip and took hold of one end of the table.

They were finished with all the furniture and began giving Kendall and Logan a hand with the boxes. Carlos smirked and tried to trip Kendall up as he carried one box. Kendall just rolled his eyes and walked down the stairs, hips swaying every step. They were on their last load, James's dad's colleague guy standing outside his van and making sure nobody tried damaging it.

Kendall was the first to reach the van, huffing a little as he lifted his box higher. One of the boys gave a whistle, smirking as he watched Kendall push a box into the van and stretch quite nicely as he did. Kendall looked over his shoulder at them and gave a little smirk, winking and puckering his lips at him. Carlos rolled his eyes and grabbed Kendall by the hips, lifting him up and into the van. "Take a seat, princess," he snapped. "And try not to get too horny while you're waiting."

"No promises there!" Kendall teased, earning a chuckle amd a cheer from one of the boys.

James sighed, shaking his head as he dumped another box in the van. "Need some help with the last one, Logan?" he asked helpfully.

"I'm fine," Logan muttered crossly, standing on his toes and awkwardly shoving the box in, huffing in annoyance. James had a feeling he wouldn't have accepted any help even if he needed it. He hopped up into the van, watching Logan struggle to climb in too. Kendall and Carlos were already comfortably seated on a bench along the side of the van. Well, not very comfortably actually. Kendall was texting and deliberately elbowing Carlos in the ribs very time he typed, while Carlos grunted in annoyance and stomped on Kendall's toes.

"Will you two knock it off?" James sighed, sitting next to them. "Good thing Mom is sitting up front with the driver, I dunno how she could cope with you idiots . . ."

"Love you too, honey," Kendall cooed sweetly, before slamming his elbow into Carlos's side and knocking him onto the floor. Carlos growled, leaping at Kendall and pulling him down on the floor too. "I've had it with you!"

"Don't talk to me like I'm four, you asshole! At least I can read!"

"Yeah, sexy texting! Who is it now, huh?" Carlos grabbed Kendall's phone, pushing Kendall away at arm's length as he scrolled through the texts. At first he was chuckling, but then his eyes widened and he gagged. "Ugh! Why you you let him do that to you, it's gross!"

"It's none of your business!" Kendall yelled, trying to take the phone back, cheeks pink. "I can do what I want!"

"You need to cop the fuck on and realise if you keep doing 'what you want', you're gonna wake up in some gross motel room, naked and with half of your teeth missing!"

"Well you never know, maybe I'd prefer that to being stuck here with you!" Kendall snatched his phone back and shoved it in his shorts pocket. "Stop telling me what to do! I can take care of myself."

"Can you? Can you really?" Carlos demanded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I can." Kendall sat back on the bench, folding his arms and sighing angrily.

"Wow, sulking like a baby," Carlos teased. "What's wrong, boo? No childhood to sulk in?"

"Maybe not. Though you didn't have much of one either, did you?" Kendall's biting tone made Carlos grit his teeth and sit down in silence. James, after a second of standing there, ushered Kendall aside and sat in between them. Then Logan sighed and slumped down next to Carlos.

"Can't we leave yet?" Logan sighed. "I just wanna get it over with already."

"Lovely how you're always such a ray of sunshine," Carlos chuckled.

"Leave him alone," Kendall snapped.

"Guys," James whined. "Seriously. Shut up."

"Are you boys ready?" Brooke called, looking in at them. They all nodded, and she called the van driver over to shut the back of the vehicle firmly.

They heard the engine starting up, could see Brooke and the driver —James was pretty sure she'd called him Derek— sitting in the front seats. Then they were driving, leaving behind the Palmwoods for good. Logan took his iPod out and stuck the earphones in his ears.

"Goodbye, Palmwoods!" Brooke cheered, waving out the window. "We'll miss you!"

"I won't," Logan muttered, turning up his music.

**Tell me what you think about what happened, what you thin is happening and what's gonna happen :P I love hearing these opinions XD review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**New chapter! Just kinda setting the scene and stuff XD enjoy!**

"Are we there yet?" Carlos asked for the third time.

"NO!"

"We've been in the back of this dumbass van for hours!"

"It's only been fifteen minutes, you idiot," Kendall replied, eyes on his phone screen.

"Well, it doesn't feel like it!" Carlos sighed, folding his arms. "How far away is this place anyway?"

Not too far," Brooke replied with a smile, before facing the front again. It was only today that James had noticed her slightly bulging stomach.

It was a weird thought. That little bulge, in only about six months, was going to turn into his baby brother, or baby sister. It was a feeling so unfamiliar to him.

"What are you thinking about?" Logan asked suddenly.

James turned to stare at him. "You actually care?"

"Not really, I'm just curious." Logan gave a small smile. James hasn't seen that in a while.

"I was just thinking about the baby." Brooke wasn't even listening, so he didn't mind saying it out loud.

"You excited?" Logan gave another smile, or more of a smirk this time. "Worried he or she will replace you as the favourite?"

James raised his eyebrows. "No, not really . . ."

Logan shrugged. "Well, if you were a girl you'd have no worries. I bet your mom is dying for one with all of us around."

James gave a long sigh, sitting back again.

Hmm, maybe if he was a girl, he'd be his mom's favourite for sure. Though he assumed he was anyway, considering he was her only child, and not an adopted lunatic.

If he was a girl though, what kind of girl would he be? Probably just an average girl-next-door type, that was all he really seemed to be right now. Maybe like that girl in his chemistry class, Jo Taylor. She wasn't particularly outgoing, or shy, or smart or dumb or ugly or gorgeous . . . she was just Jo. Maybe he'd just be James. Or Jamie. Whatever.

Well this one didn't take much contemplating. If Kendall was a girl he'd be one of those hot ones with the big hair who wore push-up bras and shiny lipgloss. Then Carlos would be a tough girl, probably with short hair who wore baggy jeans and hung around at the skate park a lot, or something. Then there'd be Logan, a shy and broody girl always with her nose stuck in a book—

Why was he thinking about this?!

"What's with the face you're making?" Kendall asked, looking up from his phone at last.

_Nothing. I just imagined you wearing a push-up bra._ "I . . . um . . ."

Kendall rolled his eyes and went back to texting, and James was left sitting awkwardly and not knowing where to look.

"I think we're almost there," the driver, Dan, called out to them.

Carlos grinned and cheered happily. "Finally!"

James grinned at him, before the four boys looked out the front window and waited to see the housing estate they'd be living in. Kendall had even put his phone away; pure dedication.

"We'll be living in Number 17," Brooke chirped to Dan. "It's gonna be amazing! I can just see it now—"

Kendall turned from looking out the window at the shitty looking houses and turned to glance at the others. James really didn't like his expression. He saw Dan making the same face . . .

They saw the name of the street. James turned to stare at Carlos with wide eyes, trying to show Carlos what he was asking. He couldn't get the words out.

Carlos nodded grimly.

_Fuck everything._

Down the dirty street they went, Brooke looking around in utter bewilderment. Then they got out of the van slowly, staring around in horror. Number 17 had the names of teenage lovers and swear words graffitied all over the door and the walls. Two of the upstairs windows were smashed and covered up with cardboard. The garden was littered with McDonalds boxes and beer cans. If you could even call it a garden. There was no grass; just knee-high dandelions.

"Oh my fucking god," Kendall murmured, staring around.

Brooke looked absolutely horrified. "No," she said softly, turning and looking down the road, at the house, and back again. "N-no, this can't be right . . ."

"Well, it is," Logan retorted, arms folded.

"It can't be! The girl in the office showed me photos of the houses here, they all looked brand new!"

"They were brand new— once!" Logan looked furious with her. "She obviously showed you photos from ages ago, why didn't you realise that?!"

"Let's put all our stuff back in the van and go home," Kendall sighed.

Brooke started to cry. "We can't go home, the apartment's been allocated already. What have I done?!"

"You've messed up, that's what you've done . . ."

"Shut it, Logan," Carlos snapped, moving over to give Brooke a hug. "Hey. Don't cry, it's not good for the baby. The house might not be so bad on the inside . . ."

High hopes indeed, James couldn't help thinking.

Brooke had a key in an envelope with her, but they didn't really need to bother. James had a strong feeling that any self-respecting thieves would stay far away from it.

If possible, Number 17 was as bad, if not worse, on the inside. It smelt musty and damp, with dirty walls that were covered with just as much graffiti as the outside. The living room had a worn looking carpet that had been rolled up to use as a bench, maybe. There were empty food cartons all around it. The kitchen was just as bad, tiles missing, mould on half the contertops. And somebody had thrown up in the sink.

"UGH!" Logan gagged, backing out of the room immediately. "This place is disgusting!"

Brooke gave a wail of despair, sitting down on the rolled up carpet in the living room and starting to cry again. "What have I done?! I'm a terrible mother . . ."

Dan gave a sigh. "Come on now, don't get so upset. You need to get things done around here."

Brooke ignored him, sobbing loudly.

"Somebody's got to do something!"

After he said this, Carlos glared at him and went to sit beside Brooke, wrapping his arm around her. Logan scowled at him too. Kendall looked like he didn't know what to do at all. James was the only be left. "I guess we could start cleaning?" he suggested quietly.

"You could do that, and get the van unpacked. I need to be going soon." Dan turned to look at the four boys. "Let's see . . . how about you, and you there sitting with Brooke, you can get the van unpacked. You look like the strong lads of this family."

It was exactly the right thing to say to Carlos, and he immediately jumped to it. "And you two smaller boys, you can start cleaning."

"Don't call me small! And I already cleaned in the apartment!" Logan snapped.

"Who's gonna deal sight the sink?" James asked uncertainly.

Then to his amazement, Kendall gave an angry sigh and stormed outside to get the cleaning things from the van. And when he came back in, he grabbed what he needed and stormed off into the kitchen. "DIPSHITS!" they heard him yell.

"Charming," Dan sighed. "I'll take a look upstairs and see if there's anything else . . . unappealing. I'll give you boys a hand with it if there is."

"Thanks," Logan murumred sullenly, picking up the rest of the cleaning stuff and leaving the room.

James followed Carlos out to the van and started carrying their boxes into the house, as well as taking turns carrying in some of the furniture.

"Can one of you boys come up here and help me?" Dan's voice came from upstairs.

Carlos sighed, placing another box in the kitchen. "I'll go," he said.

"I'm gonna see if we have anything out the back," James replied, turning and leaving the hallway. He walked into the kitchen, where Kendall was scrubbing furiously at the sink, mouth clenched shut in a tight line.

"How did we end up like this?" James wondered. He was only half talking to Kendall. "My mom and I used to live in this amazing penthouse, even after she and my dad split up. We always had money. What the hell happened? Shouldn't the person with a lower-paid job in the divorce get that money from the other? What's it called again . . ."

Kendall straightened up, turning away from the sink. "I have a theory," he said. "See, your dad was the rich one. And he probably did give your mom some money. I guess when he wanted all the stuff back he had the advantage. He probably told her she would have to give him everything back, or he'd get all his fancy lawyers and shit to take something she really wanted to keep."

"Like what?" James asked, confused.

Kendall rolled his eyes. "You, dumbass. He probably threatened to file for full custody of you if she didn't do what he wanted." He turned back to continue cleaning the sink.

James stood there, in shock. "That's horrible," he said softly. "Some father he is."

"Yeah well, not all parents care about their kids. There's no law stating they should. Some just don't give a shit if you live or die, and others . . ." Kendall shook his head and scrubbed harder at the sink.

Frowning slightly at the blonde, James walked over to the back door and started tugging at the bolt. "It's too rusty," he whined, yanking at it harder.

"Don't hurt yourself, Superman," Kendall teased, biting his lip as he kept cleaning the sink.

"It's looking good," James commented, looking over. "Who are you, Cinderella?"

"Sure, let's go with that." Kendall pulled the plug on the sink and leaned back, sighing. "Only this in't much of a ball, is it? And I have no glass shoes."

James finally managed to yank the bolt across and pull the back door open. He stepped out, staring at the garden. The grass was almost up to his knees, with dandelions, weeds and nettles scattered across it. "It's like a bloody jungle out here!"

Kendall took off his gloves and walked out to have a look. He laughed. "Now this is what I call a garden."

"Where've you lived, the Amazon?!" James stepped out into the grass, moving one foot back amd forth and feeling thr long grass pulling and tangling around his foot. "This feels weird . . ."

Suddenly he felt two hands slam against his back, sending him sprawling down into the long grass. "HEY!"

Kendall laughed, barely stepping on the grass properly as he looked down at him. "Is it comfy?"

"I dunno, come down and see!" He grabbed Kendall's legs and tugged him down. The blonde was already slightly off balance and landed half on top of James, half in the grass. He squealed, rolling over and laughing. "It's all ticklish!"

"That's what you get for going around with bare legs," James chuckled, poking his thigh.

"Hey, don't do that!" Kendall giggled, kicking him. "You're weird."

"Not as weird as you," James replied. And he meant it.

Kendall just stuck his tongue out st him, before getting to his feet. "I'm gonna go finish off the sink, it's still a bit gross. You just gonna lie out here for a while?"

"Nah, I'm coming in too." James got up and walked with him back into the kitchen. Kendall pulled the gloves back on and returned to the gruesome task. While James left the room just in time to see his mom heading up the stairs with some of the cleaning equipment. "Hey Mom, what are you up to?"

"The toilet upstairs is gonna need a lot of bleach," she replied grimly.

"I'll give you a hand." James hopped up the stairs after her, taking the cloth she handed him.

"Work on the sinks, will you? The taps are so dirty they're gone completely stiff."

James did as he was asked, gritting his teeth and scrubbing furiously at the grime. "Are we gonna be going to the same school?"

"I don't see why not. I'm sure there's a bus station somewhere around here."

"Can we stay off until we get the place sorted out?"

Brooke took a break from cleaning and smiled up at him. "You'd love that, wouldn't you."

"Well, yeah. Obviously."

"I'd love you boys to help me out but you need your education. Of course, I might keep you here for an extra day or two, but I think this dump is gonna take a little longer than that to fix up."

James suddenly heard Carlos yelling, other voices yelling, and a lot of swearing. Mostly Carlos swearing.

"I guess living here is gonna educate us in other ways. What on earth is going on out there?" Brooke wondered, stopping scrubbing at the toilet and frowning.

"Don't worry about it, I'll go look." James got up and ran down the stairs, passing Logan in the hallway as he headed towards the front door.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, there's a whole gang out there."

James ignored him and ran outside.

There were a gang of teenage boys standing outside the van, around Carlos. They all looked about James's age, or maybe a little older. Actually, they probably were older. Some of them, anyway. They were definitely bigger. There were seven of them and Carlos was swearing away at them, not seeming to realise he was outnumbered. Kendall was there too, looking furious. "Will you just piss off?!" he shouted. But he wasn't telling at them. He was yelling at Carlos.

"Yeah, get lost," one of the boys added. He was tall and burly, with a hoodie that had some form of a terrible pickup line scrawled across the front.

"I will when you creeps leave my brother alone! He's sixteen!"

"Shut up, Carlos!"

"Age is just a number," another guy smirked. "Right, babe?"

"Don't call him that unless you want a black eye, asshole!"

"Oh yeah? What can I call him then? Sweetcheeks?" The guy stepped closer. "Like a cocksucking little Mexican—"

Carlos punched the guy right in the jaw, sending him staggering back a few feet. Instantly the rest of the gang were grabbing him and shoving him up against the van. "Hey!" James shouted, running over.

But then somebody else ran past him and yanked the two guys pinning Carlos up and shoved them on the ground. Someone threw a punch at Dan, he blocked it quickly. "Get away, right now! Leave these kids alone!"

"We're not kids," Carlos murmured silently as the gang ran off.

Kendall turned to glare at Carlos. "Thanks a lot, you jackass!"

Carlos stared at him in disbelief. "You can't be serious! Did you not see what those guys were like?"

"I liked that tall guy with the snapback! And I think he liked me too, until you had to fuck it up and tell him how old I am!" Kendall snarled back, stepping closer to him.

Carlos groaned in exasperation. "You're such an idiot, Kendall! Sixteen with the brains of a six-year-old kid! Just cop the fuck on!" He shoved Kendall backwards in his frustration, the blonde losing balance and toppling down onto the ground.

Down the street, the gang were disappearing around the corner. James spotted this tall guy with the snapback glance over his shoulder at them. He saw Kendall sprawled on the ground, smirked and ran off. Kendall got up furiously and leaped at Carlos. "You fucking asshole!"

James watched the whole thing with wide eyes. Normally in a fight, Carlos could floor Kendall in seconds. But right now Kendall was way too angry.

"Guys, stop!" he called out weakly. "Come on—"

Kendall and Carlos's shouting and swearing drowned him out.

_What a great start. Whoopdeedo._

**Reviews? :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**New chapter for you lovelies :) enjoy!**

"You think you're so fucking tough, don't you!" Kendall screamed, clawing at Carlos's face and shoving him in rage. "You prick!"

"Guys, come on!" James pleaded. "Stop it!"

"Oh and you think you're so clever, right! Because you go around flaunting yourself like a fucking prostitute!"

"HEY!" James tried to break them up, making an attempt to grab Kendall's arms and pull him back. He was met with a slap to the face. "OW!"

_SPLASH!_

Kendall, Carlos and James were all suddenly dripping wet, shivering on the sidewalk. "What the fuck!" Kendall screamed, running a hand through his soaked hair, blue dye beginning to drip down over his fingers.

"Mom!" James groaned. "Why?!"

"If you're going to behave like wild dogs, you'll get treated like them," Brooke snapped, holding the empty bucket in her hand.

"I wasn't fighting! I was trying to break them up!" James protested.

"It wasn't anything to do with you," Carlos said sullenly, a hand on his cheek. He glanced at it to see blood on his fingers. "You made me bleed! Fucking alley cat."

"Don't call me that," Kendall snarled. "Or I'll do worse to you!"

"Bring it on!"

"STOP IT!" Brooke screamed. "You two are just—" Then she stopped, hands on her belly. "Ow . . ."

"Mom?!"

"What's going on?" Logan asked, running out to them, Dan following close behind.

"I think something's wrong," Brooke gasped, clutching her belly, face scrunched up in pain. "I t-think . . . I might be bleeding . . ."

Dan swore, head in his hands. "I guess I have to take you to hospital! Go sit in the van. One of the boys should go with you—"

"I'll go!" James said immediately.

"No, Jamie, I don't want you to. Ow . . ." Brooke forced a smile. "You need to keep an eye on things here."

"What about me?" Carlos suggested, though he looked sick at the thought.

"I'll go," Logan volunteered, surprising everyone. "I don't mind."

James, Carlos and Kendall were left standing and dripping on the sidewalk as they watched Dan drive away with Brooke and Logan, half their furniture with him. "Now what?" Kendall said at last.

James shrugged, just as a woman waked past them, shaking her head. "Like criminals, the lot of you," she sneered at them. "Fighting like animals, your mom giving birth in the gutter—"

"Say one more word," Carlos said quietly. It was that quiet tone that gave James the creeps. "Go on."

She just scowled at them, walking on. "I guess we should go inside," James sighed, and they picked up whatever they'd left out front and walked into the house, shutting the door behind them. It was already late afternoon. It'd be getting dark soon. "What are we going to do?" Kendall said at last, sitting on the rolled-up carpet, surrounded by cardboard boxes and random furniture. "How long do you think they'll be?"

"Who knows," Carlos sighed. After a second or two he glanced down their dark hallway and moved to turn the light on. Nothing happened. "For fuck's sake!"

"We've got no power either?!" Kendall groaned, head in his hands. "It's gonna be pitch dark in here!"

"Hey, don't worry," James said, trying to be positive. "It's probably the fuse box or something."

"Yeah but none of us know how to fix it, do we? And even if we did, we've got no tools." Kendall looked more distressed and annoyed by the minute.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm starving," Carlos announced, heading over to where Brooke's handbag lay and pulling out two tenners. "She won't mind. I'm gonna go out for some food."

"I'll go with you," James said quickly. "In case any of those guys—"

"I'll be fine," Carlos scoffed. "It's not dark out yet, I'll be okay." Then he headed out and slammed the front door shut without another word.

"Do you think Mom will be okay?" James asked at last, sitting down next to Kendall.

"I'd say so. I mean, at most she'll lose the baby, but . . ." He trailed off. "I'll feel so bad if she does," he added quietly, biting his lip. "It's because of me and Carlos fighting—"

"Hey, don't say that. I'm sure she was already pretty stressed about being in this dump."

"I guess so," Kendall sighed.

James looked around, trying to think of something else to say. "Do you think everything electric is broken? I'd love a cup of coffee right now."

"Let's go check." Kendall stood up, walking over to one of the boxes and bending down to rifle through it. "I think this is where our kitchen stuff is . . ."

James didn't say anything, trying to look anywhere but at Kendall right now. Why wouldn't he straighten up already?!

"Aha!" And Kendall did, to James's relief, holding up the kettle. "Here we go! Let's go see if it works."

James followed Kendall into the kitchen, where the blonde turned on the tap and filled the kettle up, before plugging it in and setting it on the counter. He switched it on. Nothing. James groaned. "Well, that's just great. I bet we've got no hot water either."

"So, cold showers?" Kendall made a face. "Ew."

Suddenly a loud knock on the door startled them both. Kendall squeaked in fright, gripping James's arm tightly. James tried to pry him off, then heard another louder knock and held him back, heart pounding. "Who do you think it is?" Kendall hissed, looking terrified.

"I have no idea."

"You d-don't think it's those boys, do you?"

"I don't know."

"Do you really think they'd hurt me?" Kendall stared up at him with wide eyes. "Like, do you think Carlos meant that? He wasn't just saying it to annoy me?"

"I don't know," James repeated. "But I don't think Carlos says stuff like that for the sake of—"

"HEY!" A voice called though the mail slot in the door. "It's Carlos! Are you going to let me in or not?!"

Kendall ran forward and opened the door, shaking a little with relief. "You idiots," Carlos scoffed, walking in with a large paper bag and shaking his head at them.

"What do you expect, with you knocking on the door like that!" Kendall retorted. "We didn't know who you were, why didn't you let yourself in?"

"Mom's got all the keys. Now," Carlos held up the paper bag. "I also got some coke. And I found a takeaway, so . . . meatball subs all round!"

They sat down on the rolled-up carpet. They couldn't find the box with the plates and cups so they ate from the wrappers and took turns drinking from the bottle of soda. After taking only a bite or two, Kendall stopped eating. James and Carlos glanced at each other briefly.

"Eat a little," James said at last, trying to remember how his mom spoke to Kendall, and what she said. "Go on."

"I don't—"

"Just do it, alright?" Carlos added firmly. "It's okay to eat, you know."

And Kendall ate, finishing his meatball sub even before Carlos did. Carlos closed the soda bottle and left it aside with the paper bag. "I'm gonna leave some for the others," he told them. "Just in case."

"Logan will thank you," Kendall teased. "Who knows, he might actually smile!"

"Fat chance of that," James chuckled. Then he sighed. "We don't even have tv! What are we supposed to do?"

"We could talk to each other," Carlos joked. "Thing is . . . I don't want to."

"I second that," Kendall agreed, elbowing Carlos in the side. James held his breath, but then sighed with relief when he saw it was only in play, and that Carlos knew it too.

A sudden knock on the door made them jump. "It's me!" Logan's voice called. "Open the door, will you?"

They did, Logan and Dan standing there in the doorway. "Well?" James asked immediately. "Is she okay?"

"She's alright," Logan replied, giving a tired smile. "It was just the stress . . . nothing serious happened but they wanted to keep her overnight to be sure."

"Why's it so dark in here?" Dan asked, frowning.

"We've got no power," Kendall told him, lips pouted. "I don't suppose you'd know how to fix it, would you?"

Then to everyonr's surprise, Logan said, "I can do it. Have we got any tools?"

"I have some," Dan grinned, heading out to the van for them.

"I didn't expect that from you, Logiebear," Carlos teased.

"My old neighbour taught me once when the power in my house went out," Logan replied quietly. "It's no big deal. I can show you how if you like."

Dan came back and handed Logan his tool box. "While he's taking care of that . . . we can try and bring in the rest of your furniture now, or I can bring it back tomorrow morning before I pick up your mother . . . keep in mind the place you're living in. And that it's dark out right now with only about two streetlamps actually working."

"You're gonna come back tomorrow?" James looked surprised. "Really? Even after seeing those two?" He pointed at Kendall and Carlos, who looked offended, but their heads hung low and they said nothing.

"We'l . . ." Dan pulled at the collar of his shirt, obviously finding the question uncomfortable. "You boys need help. You might be pretty rough but I know you've got good hearts. I don't mind giving you a bit of a hand, just until you find your feet. Look where you ended up."

James grinned at him. "Thanks."

"Yeah," Kendall added at last. "Thank you." Carlos nodded in agreement but stayed silent.

"I think we should leave the furniture until the morning," James said. "We have enough here to get by, we'll be fine."

Logan came back with Dan's tool box and handed it over, before triumphantly flicking the switch in the hallway, light flooding it immediately. "Awesome!" Carlos cheered, giving Logan a hug. "You rock!"

Logan's cheeks were pink as he gave an idle shrug.

Once Dan left, the boys shut the door firmly behind them and wondered what to do next. "Maybe we should just sleep," James suggested at last. "It's getting kinda late . . ."

And because they had nothing else to do, the other three shrugged and agreed. "I saved you some food," Carlos said to Logan, handing him the bag and the coke. "So, eat that first, yeah?"

"Yeah," Logan smiled softly. "Thanks."

"We've only got one bed," Kendall sighed. "It's Mom's."

None of them looked enthusiastic about the prospect of sharing a bed. Especially all four of them. But the fact was they probably would all fit (just about) and it was either that, the armchair or the probably diseased floor.

"At least it's a double," Carlos said at last, trying to be optimistic.

James, meanwhile, was digging around the cardboard boxes. "Hey, all our own boxes are here, with our clothes and stuff. And our bathroom things. That's luck, right?"

"I guess so," Logan agreed reluctantly, crumbling up the empty takeaway bag and dropping it onto the floor by the carpet. "We've got enough for one night."

They took turns in the bathroom, brushing their teeth and deciding to change while they were in there too. Kendall flopped down onto the mattress, clothed in small shorts and a massive t-shirt with a skull on it. Logan sat next to him, covered up pretty much completely. James found that even though, because he wasn't as close to them, he often associated them as bring similar. But they were so different, complete opposites really.

"I have the pillows and blanket," Carlos announced, walking over and dumping them on the mattress, lying down.

"Someone's gotta turn off the light," Logan said as way of replying.

"I'm too comfortable," Kendall replied immediately, sticking out his tongue childishly and poking Logan in the side. "You go."

"No way!" But James could swear he saw a faint trace of a smile on Logan's lips. "I'm comfy too, let James do it!"

"Fine," James grumbled, getting to his feet and walking over. He switched off the hall light and then the living room one, the room instantly pitch black. He only managed to take a few steps across the floor before he crashed into a cardboard box, banging his toe off it. "FUCK!"

He heard the other three laughing hysterically and growled in annoyance, trying too make his way over without hitting off anything else. Then suddenly he tripped over someone's shoe and went flying, crashing onto the bed with a shriek and landing on top of a warm body.

"James!" Kendall huffed, small hands trying to push the brunette's larger body off him. "You're crushing me, get of!"

"Sorry," James murmured, cheeks red as he rolled off the blonde and lay next to him, pretty much on the very edge of the bed. But it wasn't too uncomfortable, thankfully. He heard rustling as someone reached down and pulled the blanket over them all.

"This is totally gay," Logan stated, sandwiched between Kendall and Carlos.

"Get over it," Kendall replied, snuggling closer against James with no apparent shyness or shame. "At least we won't get cold."

"True that," Carlos sighed. "Now shut up. I want to sleep."

James was pretty sure the other three fell asleep before him. He just lay there in the dark, thinking to himself. Despite how dark the room was, a faint light from a street lamp outside was enough for him to make out the grafiti painted on the ceiling. He was still sort of amazed, annoyed and kind of depressed about the fact that they ended up in this place. All that talk about a nice garden and pets and all that bullshit; as if they'd get any of that here. He wanted to be angry at his mom for landing them in this shithole. And he was. But at the same time, he knew it wasn't entirely her fault. And telling her off and stressing her out more wouldn't make things any better.

"I can practically hear you thinking," whispered a voice on his right.

James glanced down at where he could just see a pair of green eyes staring at him through the dark. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, I just noticed. You okay?"

"Didn't think you cared."

"What made you think that?"

Everything about you, James wanted to reply. Instead he said nothing.

Kendall sighed. "Well whatever it is, losing sleep over it isn't gonna help anything."

"I've been thinking a little about what you said to me today, about my dad."

"And?"

"I think I might ask my mom about him. Like . . . if that's true. And even before that, why the marriage ended. I have a right to know, don't I? I'm seventeen. Almost an adult."

"Do you think she'll tell you?"

"I hope so. Now that it's started bothering me, I can't stand not knowing."

"Understandable."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"You're not as shallow as I thought. Or as . . . dumb-blondish."

"I'll try not to be offended by your previous perception of me."

"Wow, lots of big words too. I'm impressed."

"That was what I hoped for. Now stop thinking and go to sleep."

"I'll do my best."

**Review? c:**


	5. Chapter 5

**New chapter, hope you like :P**

The newly-collected furniture from Dan's van was left cluttered around in the living room and kitchen when Dan returned again with Brooke in the passenger seat. The four boys ran out to hug her, though none of them except James would admit how relieved they were that she was alright. "We've gotta finish cleaning those rooms up before we put the furniture in," she instructed once they were back inside the house. "If we work fast and hard we should at least have it clean enough to sleep in by tonight. Then we can actually decide who's sleeping where."

"I'll get going then," Dan said at last, scratching the back of his head and looking flustered. "I suppose I can come back in a day or two and see how you're doing . . . just to make sure."

Kendall glanced at James and raised his eyebrows, smirking a little. He didn't get it, but he had a feeling Kendall was thinking of something dirty and/or embarrassing. For once, he suddenly noticed, Kendall's face and hair were completely natural. Well . . . his hair was never natural but today it lacked any other colour besides that soft honey blonde. He supposed he must've forgotten about it.

"Thanks, Dan," Brooke grinned. "We appreciate it, really we do."

Carlos and Logan nodded in agreement, while Kendall chirped, "Yup!" and gave the man a charming smile.

"It's nothing," Dan chuckled, grinning. "I'll see you soon . . . good luck with the cleaning! Boys, make sure your mother doesn't get too stressed."

"She's not my mother," Logan sighed, but it was a bare murmur that no one really heard.

Dan drove away and Brooke handed out the cleaning supplies. "James, I want you to finish off the living room," she instructed. "It's practically finished anyway and when it is I want you to give the the boys a hand upstairs. I'll do the kitchen. Kendall, you can do the bathroom. There are four bedrooms; Carlos, you can take the biggest one. Logan, take one of the smaller ones. Anyone who finishes can get to work on the last two. We'll do the hallways and the stairs last. Okay?"

Everyone nodded and went their seperate ways. James wandered into the living room and looked around. He saw that really, all he had to do was dust the corners of the ceiling. There was too much furniture in there to vacuum properly at the moment, and all the other stains were gonna be fixed with a good coat of paint. He picked up his duster and got to work.

Upstairs, he could hear Kendall singing some latest pop single as he worked, while Carlos sang something louder, a rock song of sme kind. He smiled to himself and grabbed a chair to stand up on, dusting all the cobwebs from the corners of the ceiling, and from the windows. He finished it all and opened the front door, whacking the duster off the wall a few times and watching the dust float to the ground, invisible once it did. Across the street, he saw a small old man walking his dog. Only the dog looked like it hadn't eaten in a month.

"Get on, you scum!" the man growled, foot nudging the dog in the stomach, a lot harder than necessary. It yelped and limped on a bit faster, tongue hanging out as it panted. James frowned and shut the front door again, thinking about his mom's promise about them getting a pet. One thing was for sure; he'd never treat is as badly as that. They were just like people, really. Only difference was they didn't hurt people unless they were taught to. Or if they'd been hurt first.

He sighed and gave the bottom step of the stairs a light kick.

As he thought of Brooke, he remembered what Kendall had said. "Mom?" he called. "Are you busy?"

"I'm actually just stopping for a quick drink," she called back. "Come in if you like!"

James walked into the room, where Brooke was sitting at the kitchen table. She just about had space for a chair, and was holding a glass of water in her hand. James made his way around the dresser in his way and shimmied into a nearby kitchen chair. "Hey, Mom? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead.."

James made himself more comfortable and took a deep breath. "Um . . . I wanted to talk to you about Dad. If that's okay . . ."

"Oh. I suppose that's alright." Brooke smiled, taking a sip of her drink before placing the glass back on the table and waiting for him to speak.

James looked down, hands playing with the frayed ends of his shirt sleeves. "Um . . ."

"Yes?"

"Did he threaten to take custody of me if you didn't give up the apartment?" James blurted out, cheeks flushing as he realised he probably shouldn't have approached the question this way.

Brooke turned slightly pale, and James knew immediately that Kendall had been right. "I . . . where did you hear that?"

"Kendall had a theory. Is it true?"

Brooke sighed, hands pressed to her temple as her fingers rubbed little circles onto her skin. He felt a bit guilty for stressing her out. "Honestly, it is true."

"And do you think he actually wanted custody of me? Or was he just using me for his own gain?" James's voice wavered a little but he tried to ignore it.

"Look, James . . ." She bit her lip. "Your dad wanted what he wanted, and he'd do anything it took to get his way. Truthfully, I don't think he wanted you that much. It's not that he doesn't love you, I'm sure he does, somewhat . . . but you would've tied him down."

"Why did you two split up?"

"I didn't realise this was 'Interrogate your Mother' day."

"I told you I wanted to talk about my dad. I'm not done," James snapped.

"I found out he was cheating on me. He had been for a while." Brooke's voice was steady but for some reason she couldn't properly look him in the eye.

James frowned. Something about his mother's tone put him off a little. "The way you're talking, it's like he committed the worst sin in the world," he said at last. "Sorry if I'm taking what he did too lightly, I just . . . I don't understand."

Brooke gave a short and angry sigh, looking at James properly at last. "I'm not going to tell you anymore. Not right now. It's gonna change your views on quite a few people in your life."

"Like who?"

"Well, your dad. And me. And one or two others . . ." She gave another sigh. "When you're a bit older, alright?"

"I'm seventeen! How much older do I need to be?!"

"We're not talking about this anymore!" Brooke snapped. "I've had enough! Just go back to your jobs!"

James got up and left the room, gritting his teeth. What was she hiding from him that was oh so important and mysterious?! It got on his last nerve.

He picked up his cleaning supplies and went upstairs, taking a peek into the bathroom on his way up. The place was practically gleaming; James guessed that Kendall must've used up the whole bottle of surface cleaner. He heard singing coming from the room at the end of the hall amd walked down, seeing Kendall on his knees on the floor, scrubbing. "Hey Cinderella," he greeted, kneeling down beside him. "Need some help?"

"Yeah, go clean something that looks diseased," Kendall joked, scrubbing harder. "I've got this under control."

James grabbed the empty bucket and went to fill it with water, before coming back, picking up his rag and washing the windows. "I decided to talk to Mom about my dad," he said as he cleaned.

"And?"

"Your theory was correct. He used my mom's love for me to get what he wanted." James was aware he sounded bitter; it was a natural thing and he didn't care much.

"Sorry about that," Kendall replied mournfully, glancing up at where he stood. "But like I said . . . I guess not all parents care."

"Yeah, I guess not." James polished the window harder, the cloth squeaking against the glass. "She also said the reason they split up was because he was cheating on her. But she acted like it was way worse than it sounded. Then she wouldn't tell me why."

"I'm afraid I don't have any theories about that."

"It's cool. I didn't think you did."

After another twenty minutes, Logan came in and gave them a hand finishing off the room. "The biggest problem upstairs is the grafitti," he said as they surveyed the work they'd done. "Once we get a bit of paint on these walls, we'll be home free."

"Now there's just the smallest bedroom left," Kendall grinned, brushing a bit of dust off the knees of his skinny jeans. "Shall we?"

Carlos helped them with the last bedroom and they finished it off quickly. Then three of them took care of the upstairs hallway while Kendall went and helped Brooke with downstairs.

"Well done boys!" Brooke called up the stairs. "It looks so much better than it did yesterday!"

"We could start a business," Carlos boasted, holding and swinging a feather duster around and chuckling. "Clean up all the old dumps in this place."

Logan raised his eyebrows. "You're kidding, right?"

"Of course!"

"I think we could all do with a bit of a break," Brooke said once the three boys went downstairs. "Maybe an hour? Then we'll start moving the furniture where we want it." She went off into the kitchen without another word.

"I'm hungry," Logan sighed. "Think we've got anything edible?"

"They're might be some cereal or Cheetos or something," James shrugged, pointing to the box where the food had been stored. Logan went to look and James turned to see Carlos putting on his jacket. "Where are you going?"

"Out," Carlos replied with a shrug. "I wanna explore."

James grabbed his arm worriedly. "But what if those guys—"

"Relax, I can take care of them," Carlos scoffed, shaking free and heading towards the door. "See ya!" He strode out and slammed the front door after him. James gave an exasperated sigh.

"I'm going too!" Kendall announced, picking up his sweater and putting it on.

"What, no!" James lunged for him but he jumped out of the way.

"You're not the boss of me," he sang, winking before running out the door, not giving James a chance to stop him again.

James gave an exasperated sigh, turning to Logan. "What's the bet they'll both come back with missing limbs?"

Logan shrugged. "I guess we'll see."

James went to root around in one of the boxes for a book of some kind. He found one of Logan's that he wasn't using, and decided to give it a try. It bored him quite a lot.

James ran into the hallway a while later when he heard the door open. Kendall waltzed in, smiling in greeting when he saw him. "You look live you've been waiting for me," he teased, poking his shoulder. "Have you?"

"Pfft, no. So what did you get up to?"

Kendall grinned. "I made a friend!"

"Oh." James's eyebrows rose doubtfully. "A . . . a man friend . . .?" He wondered what the two of them had done before this so-called friendship was established.

"No, no! It's a girl, her name's Lucy." James followed Kendall into the living room as he threw himself down on one of the beds and continued. "See, I was wandering around, and there was this guy sitting on a trashcan and playing guitar, he looked like a total hippie. Or a pothead. Not much difference, really. He was really scrawny so I didn't think he could beat me up, so I went over and sat with him and started chatting."

"And then you two . . .?"

Kendall rolled his eyes. "We talked for a while when this girl Lucy came over, looking seriously pissed off with me. I think those two might be unofficially together 'cause when I asked them, they both denied it, but . . . anyway, we all started chatting then and she thinks I'm cool! Her guy does too; his name's Guitar Dude."

"Somehow I doubt that's his name . . ."

"Well whatever, that's what he goes by." Kendall shook his bangs out of his eyes. "I should take some advice from her. She's got amazing hair and she was dressed in all black leather. I'd go straight for her."

"Right, okay." James sat down next to Kendall, elbowing him in the side. "Where does she live?"

"Down the street, she told me the number. It's actually a pretty nice house." Kendall smiled sweetly. "So I guess there is hope for us after all."

"Maybe."

Logan looked up from his book, looking slightly intrigued. "I'm surprised her house hasn't been trashed by now."

"I guess some people here respect each other. Maybe not all, but . . ." Kendall shrugged. "And you never know, maybe she's got a tough family. She seemed pretty tough herself."

"What about the guy?"

"I'd say he's the kind of guy that gets along with everyone, he was so mellow. Even assholes like the gang from yesterday."

"You're admitting they were assholes?" Logan gaped at him. "It's a miracle!"

"Oh, shush." Kendall rolled his eyes. "No need to get sarcastic with me."

"But sarcasm is one of the best things bout me," Logan retorted. "So take it or leave it." He received a pillow in the face as an answer.

And then the front door opened and Carlos stumbled in, end of his t-shirt yanked up over his nose. The shirt was dark red and sticky with blood.

"Oh my god!" Logan exclaimed, stunned out of his normally moody persona. "What happened to you?!"

"Nothing important," Carlos replied gruffly, voice slightly muffled and a bit blocked up.

"It was those guys, wasn't it?" James groaned.

"No!" Carlos snarled. "It wasn't. This was another gang. Said I'd wandered onto their territory."

"Just like you to do something idiotic like that," Kendall sighed. Logan scoffed, shaking his head.

"Come on." Kendall took Carlos's arm and dragged him into the kitchen. He sat the older boy down in a kitchen chair and walked to the sink, grabbing a wad of paper towels from the big unpacked box on the counter and soaking them in water, before squeezing them out and handing them to him. "Press that to your nose and tilt your head back, okay?"

Carlos murmured something incomprehensible and did as he asked. "So what happened?" Logan asked, sitting next to him.

"Nothing," Carlos replied grufffly. "Some gang just ambushed me, that's all. No biggie. There were like, maybe six of them. Maybe older and definitely bigger than the last ones."

"Well, wherever they were, dont go back there again," James urged. "Please don't."

"Whatever."

"Seriously you—"

"James, I'm bloody fine! Leave me alone!"

Kendall sniggered. You're bloody, all right. Not sure about fine."

Carlos chuckled, tissues still firmly pressed to his nose. "Where's Mom?"

"In the living room. She's been half aslee for the past half an hour, we're supposed to get her up in another while so she can instruct us about the furniture."

"So we've gotta pick rooms out," Kendall continued. "There are three, not including Mom's. Obviously she's gonna take the biggest one, for her and the baby. Then when the kid gets older he or she will probably take over the small room—"

"If we're still here."

"Yeah, if we're still here. Which means, we have two options. Either two people share one of the rooms, one person gets the other medium room and another gets the smallest one, or we don't change and just all share like we did back in the Palmwoods."

"So really, not much has changed, has it?" Carlos sighed.

"I wouldn't say that." Logan gave a sarcastic smile. "I mean, look at the lovely artwork on the ceiling! Didn't have that back in the Palmwoods!"

"Has your nose stopped bleeding?" James asked Carlos. The Latino removed the paper towel, and they saw that it had. "Okay, good. Go wash your face and change your shirt, then we'll wake Mom up and get stuff moved around."

Twenty minutes later, James and Carlos were panting and groaning as they carried the dresser from Brooke's room up the staircase. Kendall hurried up after them and stuck two hands underneath it, smiling at them. "We're almost there," he said reassuringly.

When the furniture had all been placed in its right rooms, they started arranging it. Right now, the sky was darkening outside James and Carlos's bedroom window. "We can put the dresser by the window," James suggested. "Then have the two beds by the opposite wall, yeah?"

"James, Carlos!" Brooke called. "Kendall and Logan are back with pizza!"

They all sat around the kitchen table with their pizza boxes and a large bottle of lemonade shared between them, not talking much. They were all tired after the work they'd done. "You boys did really well," Brooke smiled. "I'm proud of you. This place will be a happy home soon enough."

"Hey, Brooke?" Logan said, putting his pizza slice down. "What are you thinking of calling the baby?"

"Oh." Brooke looked delighted and flattered that one of them had even cared enough to ask. "We'll . . . I was thinking, that if it was a boy, I'd name him Christopher. I've always like that name. And if it was a girl, maybe Kate."

"Cute," Kendall commented idly, teeth nipping at some melted cheese dripping off the end of his pizza.

* * *

The next morning the sun shone in through James's bedroom window and woke him up; they didn't have any curtains up yet. He started to get dressed when he heard a voice calling. He glanced at his watch and saw it was already 11am.

"Boys!" Brooke called. "Come here!"

James quickly pulled on a t-shirt and walked downstairs. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kendall leaving the bathroom and following him. Glancing back over his shoulder, he saw the blonde clad in small shorts and a white v-neck, with red in his hair. Back to his old self.

When they went into the kitchen, Brooke had two plastic buckets with soapy water ready for them, along with some sponges and cloths. "I'm sorry to be asking so much of you," she pleaded. "You know I'd help if I could."

"Don't worry about it," Logan reassured her, smiling warmly. The other three gaped at him, and he turned to give them an icy glare.

"The windows need to be cleaned from the outside," Brooke continued. "Just downstairs, obviously upstairs is a bit difficult to reach. Once you're done, I'll cook something for you to eat, oksy? I took a quick trip to the store just outside the neighbourhood while you were asleep."

"You're going to cook?" Carlos teased. "Wow. Is someone dying?"

"Haha." Brooke gave him a light smack over the head. "Cheeky. Now go on, hop to it! At least it's warm today."

They took the cleaning things and went out into the front garden. There was only one window at the front of the house; the living room window. Then at the side and the back were the kitchen windows and the pane of the back door. The sun shone down on them, sweat beading at the back of James's neck, causing him to tug at the collar of his shirt uncomfortably.

"You know what would be great?" Carlos said as he scrubbed at some bird shit on the kitchen window. "If this house had a pool."

That was when Kendall picked up a dripping wet sponge and flung it at the older boy's face, laughing.

"HEY!" Carlos wiped the water off his forehead, some droplets trickling down his cheeks.

"Aww, Carlos is crying," James couldn't help teasing, tossing one too. But he missed and hit Logan, who squealed and glared at him.

"I'm gonna get you for that!" He dipped his cloth in the water and threw it just as Carlos threw his and in a fit of panic, James grabbed Kendall by the waist and pulled him in front of hm.

Kendall shrieked as both hit him on the chest and neck. "It's so cold!" He then bent down, grabbed Logan's cloth, dipped it in the water and flung it straight into James's face. "And that's what you get!"

Then Carlos picked up his and Logan's bucket of water and tossed it all over him, laughing loudly. Water dripped off Kendall's nose and chin, as well as something red. He ran a hand through his hair, groaning. "Carlos! My dye is running!"

"You look like you're bleeding," Logan giggled as he watched the mixture of water and hair dye run down Kendall's face and neck, turning spots on his shirt pink. "From your brain."

Kendall giggled, clawing his hands and making a grotesque face, tongue hanging out and eyes bulging. He let out a guttural shriek and grabbed Logan's shoulders, the smaller boy jumping back and laughing. None of them had ever seen him so happy.

Kendall relaxed his face, tugging at his v-neck and chuckling. "And my shirt's gone all see-through. I think it may be shrinking to my body as we speak."

James gulped, sweating a little more as he eyed Kendall's chest and flat stomach through his now soacking and ridiculously tight shirt. Kendall didn't even seem to notice, pushing his wet bangs from his forehead so his hair stuck up a little in spikes. It looked different. But kind of cute too. "Maybe you should go inside," Logan suggested suddenly. "You might catch a cold."

"Hmm, maybe." Kendall picked up his and James's half-full bucket. Stupidly, none of them thought anything of it. "Good thing it's warm out." Then he flung the soapy water all over Logan.

James watched as Logan chased Kendall around in the long grass, a stream of swear words ringing in his ears. But he could also hear laughter, and it made him smile. Looking over, he saw Carlos was smiling too. Logan's hair was stuck flat to his head, short strands hanging over his forehead, spiky with water. He finally caught up with Kendall and dived forward, tackling him into the long grass. Kendall squealed, rolling onto his back and laughing loudly, holding his stomach as he doubled over on the ground with hysterical laughter.

"Should we join them?" Carlos asked James. They both walked out over the grass to where Kendall and Logan were lying, dropping down next to them and spreading out in the grass. They just lay there for a while, not needing to say anything.

"The sun's gone behind a cloud," Logan sighed at last, picking at a long stem of grass he held in his hands, breaking it up into tiny pieces. "It's not as warm anymore."

"Maybe we should do some exercise then," Carlos joked. "To get you and Blondie warmed up in those wet clothes."

"What kind of exercise?"

"How about a race?" James suggested, getting up.

"Great idea!" Kendall praised, hopping to his feet and stretching a little. His shirt clung to him even tighter. James swallowed awkwardly.

The other three stood up. "How about a piggyback race?" Kendall grinned. "Around the garden twice?"

James sighed, shaking his head and chuckling. "Should've known you'd taken the easy option," he teased, poking Kendall's cheek. "So, are you—"

"Blondie, be my partner?" Carlos asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively and nudging him in the side, smirking.

"Since when would I be your choice?"

"Well, I figure this is a way for us to settle our differences. Right?"

"Fair enough." Kendall walked behind Carlos and hopped onto his back with ease, arms around his neck as the Latino kept his hands firmly under this thighs. Giving an idle shrug, James beckoned Logan over and he climbed up onto his back. James and Carlos walked to the end of the garden, right in the corer. "I'll count us in," Kendall said. "One . . . two . . . THREE!"

James and Carlos sprinted across the grass, Kendall and Logan slapping at each other above their heads. They were on their second round when Carlos stuck out his foot and tripped James up. He fell headlong into the grass, Logan falling with him.

"Boys!" Brooke called, standing at the open back door and watching them. "Did you finish the windows?"

They all nodded, and she eyed Kendall and Logan with a chuckle. "I think you used more of the water on yourselves."

"But the windows are clean," Carlos replied, letting Kendall drop down from his back and stand next to him.

"True." Brooke grinned at the four boys; she'd been watching them as she made dinner. She'd never seen them get along so well. This new place had brought them together after all. "Well, come inside! I've made pasta and meatballs, it's ready now."

The boys all cheered and hurried inside, sitting down at the kitchen table as they were given their plates of food.

James watched his mother as she ate too. He was finally staring to notice that 'glow' people always talked about. He thought about the brother or sister he'd get in about six months' time. Then he thought about his other three sort-of siblings sitting and eating with him, talking at the tops of their voices, except for Logan.

No. They were more like friends. Sometimes. Other times he wanted to rip them apart. But, yeah. Friends.

**Review pls?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sooo new chapter :P decided to change the tag and put them all in, because I can. Lol. Enjoy the chapter!**

The following Monday, Brooke decided she would send the boys back to school. She told them that from now on they would be taking a bus just outside the estate, then walking for a few minutes until they got to school. She was met with four unanimous groans as she handed out the bus fare. "Now go on, and don't miss the bus! It only leaves every half hour and I don't want you to be late today."

The four of them got ready — which invariably included Carlos or Kendall pissing the other off on some way. Today Carlos hogged the bathroom until they had to leave, barely giving Kendall time to brush his teeth. They left the house, each giving Brooke a little peck on the cheek as they left. Except for Logan, who just gave an awkward nod and a smile. It'd be enough for now. They walked down the street pretty much in silence, until they passed two men passing a large bottle of vodka between them and crossed over to the other side of the street. "Are we out yet?" Kendall hissed. "I hate it here."

"You and me both," James replied quietly. "We're almost out, the bus stop is just around the corner.

As they stood there and waited for the bus to arrive, along with a couple of other people they didn't know, Carlos spoke up. "You know, I think now that we're back at school, I might change my ways."

"You mean tomorrow I'll actually get to shower?" Kendall snapped, but he was smirking and it was clear he was interested.

"No." Carlos rolled his eyes. "I mean, today for instance, I'm not gonna get detention. And maybe tomorrow, maybe all this week! I think I can do it; I might actually show up more often, do all my homework—"

"Sounds like a tough journey for you," James commented.

"I can get there! But I'll go in steps. Let's just see how today plays out."

"The bus is coming," was all that Logan said, his expression and time holding the same sadness. Which James found a little strange and out of place.

They paid and got on the bus, moving close to the back. James sat by the window and Kendall sat with him, with Carlos and Logan in front of them. "So, think anyone missed us?" Kendall asked playfully, hands on the back of Logan's seat as he leaned up to talk to them.

"Well, they didn't miss you," Carlos teased. "But me, I'm amazing."

"What about me?" James asked, poking Carlos in the back of the head. "I'm, sure they missed me too. I mean, who wouldn't?"

"Yeah. I guess the girls at school missed their eye candy," Kendall shrugged, rifling through the pocket of his jeans for his pack of bubblegum.

Carlos and James both gaped at him, James's cheeks flushed. Kendall glanced up again at the both of them. "What? He's handsome, it's true. It's whatever." He unwrapped a piece of gum, popping it into his moth and chewing contentedly, making it clear he was done with the conversation.

They got off the bus and walked for five minutes until they got to school. They got a few glances from their classmates, who were clearly surprised to see them back. James had a feeling that some of them had suspected they'd all been expelled for something awful. Or that they'd all upped and left town in the middle of the night. Probably with some stolen goods under their arms, or even a dead body! It was to be expected, right?

Still, he would've taken all that bullshit stereotyping instead of his last school. Before they moved out of their dad's luxurious apartment, he'd attended a relatively expensive and high-maintenance private school, with a uniform and everything. And back there, all anyone ever talked about were their fancy cars and their big houses and all the expensive vacations they went on. And basically how all this made them better than all the peasants in the rest of society. Personally, he'd never had that opinion.

James had two classes with Kendall during the day, and two with Carlos. One class with all three of them. Logan, being a smart freshman but a freshman nonetheless, wasn't in any of his classes so he didn't see him much during the day. Sometimes he sat with them at lunch; yes, despite their extreme differences and the sort-of other friends they sometimes had, they often sat together. And of course, they always went to and left school together, so he saw him then.

Carlos, true to his word, managed to stay out of trouble. He didn't throw anything in his classes, he didn't fight with any other kids in the hallway. He didn't provoke anyone into attacking him. And he actually did the assignments he was given. It was an amazing thing to see. Also a bit disturbing. But with each hour that he behaved himself, Carlos's confidence — and with that, arrogance — grew.

It was in James, Carlos and Kendall's math class when everything went wrong for him. Kendall sat down in his usual seat in front of Carlos, which James a few seats away from them both. Mr Smith handed out some worksheets. "This is revision of the entire last chapter we've done. If you're not done in class, finish it for homework. I'll be going around to give help if anyone needs it."

James did his work, sighing as various numbers and strange symbols swam in his partially melted brain. Whose idea was it to give them math as their last class? He couldn't concentrate on this at all. He was sure that maybe, just maybe, if he had math at a different time of the day, he'd be a lot better at it. Yup, it was the school's fault that he wasn't reaching his full potential. He was probably a genius for all they knew. He sighed and went back to his problems, resisting the urge to fill the closed loops on the numbers up with his pen.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kendall working slowly and quietly at his sheet. Carlos was sitting behind him, his work untouched. He was twirling his pen around between his fingers, eyes dropped half shut. His eyes then landed on Kendall and gave a small smirk. James gave a tiny sigh, knowing what was coming next. Carlos swung his leg back, and delivered a sharp kick to the back of Kendall's chair. Kendall jumped and turned around to give him a scowl. Carlos looked down immediately, acting as though he'd been working diligently that whole time. Kendall gritted his teeth and turned back around. Then he smiled too. Oh god.

Kendall raised his hand, James seeing his lip pout and his eyes get a little sparkle to resemble a puppy's, as he called, "Mr Smith?"

He knew what was coming next.

Mr Smith hurried over to him instantly, eyes lighting up a little. Yes, Kendall?" he said in a low voice, considering his other students were still trying to work. James could just about hear what they were both saying, if he listened carefully.

"I'm just having some trouble," Kendall whispered, batting his eyelashes slightly. "Can you please help me?"

"Oh, of course!" Mr Smith leaned closer to him, bending down slightly so their faces were almost level. "Which one are you struggling with?"

"Well, first there was this one . . ." Kendall pointed to a spot on the problem sheet, scooting over slightly in his chair to give Mr Smith more room to lean in. And he did, arm going over the back of Kendall's chair, brushing off his shoulder.

Carlos stared at them both, turning to gape at James. He looked totally outraged. Why, James didn't know. Maybe he was being protective. Or maybe he was just annoyed that Kendall was being slutty again. It could've been both. James just shrugged at him, because really, what could he say or do?

Mr Smith was explaining the solution to Kendall, practially breathing it right into his ear. Kendall turned and smiled sweetly at him, their faces only a couple of inches apart. "Thank you," Kendall said in a soft voice, very deliberately glancing down at Mr Smith's mouth, before back up into his eyes. "I get it now."

"Good," Mr Smith grinned at him, voice low. "I'm happy you do." His cheeks flushed slightly when Kendall leaned back a little in his chair, brushing off his hand. "Do you want any help with the others?"

"Yeah, there are a couple more . . ."

Carlos clenched his fists, glaring daggers at the two of them. James could just tell that he was close to saying something. It was one of those brief spouts where he just couldn't control his anger and frustration. Especially his anger towards Kendall. He waved his hand slightly, trying to get the other boy's attention and maybe calm him down. Or at least distract him. But it wasn't working. Carlos was staring dead ahead with dark eyes, as Kendall breathed his math-related concerns against Mr Smith's cheek.

Then one of Kendall's hands moved up to brush his blonde hair out of his eyes, touching off his cheek in the process and making him jump, cheeks turning bright red.

"Will you just stop, you fucking slut!"

The entire class gasped, turning to stare at Carlos with large eyes. He was on his feet, hands slammed on the table. Kendall gaped at him, a stricken look on his face. But James could see that little twinkle on his eye and knew he'd planned for this to happen. Sneaky, conniving little prick.

And that was how Carlos got detention with Mr Smith.

"You didn't have to do that," James sighed as they walked out of school a while later, Logan walking beside them silently. "Seems a bit of an overreaction to me."

Kendall just shrugged. "He kicked my chair, it pissed me off. Now he's pissed off. I really don't care."

James rolled his eyes. "Okay, whatever. Don't come crying when he gives you a black eye. Or does something's sneakier, like hide some slugs in your bed or something."

"Where would he get those?" Kendall asked, smile wavering slightly.

"Oh, I dunno." James smirked. "But if he were to find some, I'd suggest being very, very cautious."

Kendall scowled and kept walking without another word. They got back on the bus and sat down, Logan sitting by himself. The others wouldn't have expected anything different.

They pretty much stayed completely silent as they walked back into the estate. They had nothing left to say to each other.

"Hey, it's Blondie!"

The three boys turned to look around behind them. James guessed immediately that this girl with black and red hair, clothed almost entirely in leather, was Lucy. And the baggy-clothed gangly kid with the long hair and round sunglasses had to be Guitar Dude. Yep, there was the guitar, strapped to his back. Kendall waved at them, grinning. "Hi, guys!"

Lucy and Guitar Dude walked over, looking delighted to see him. James was especially surprised when Lucy went to give him a warm and friendly hug. He would've expected a fist bump or even a punch in the face to be more up her street. "Where've you been?" Guitar Dude asked.

"At school."

"Oh, school." He sniggered.

"I take it you don't go?"

"I got kicked out for getting caught smoking pot in the bathroom. Three times. I'm eighteen now anyway, it's almost time for me to graduate. Well, if I were to graduate."

"I don't go either," Lucy added. "Well, not often. I just get treated like trash there because of where I live. There are so many other places I'd rather be."

"I'm with you on that," Logan said quietly. Lucy smiled at him, but he only looked at the ground, saying nothing. Kendall and James exchanged looks, slightly puzzled. James just shrugged and turned back to the couple in front of him.

"I heard you play guitar a lot," was all he could say in hopes of making conversation. Kendall facepalmed.

Guitar Dude laughed. "Well yeah, I would've thought that was obvious."

"It is. Ignore him, he was probably dropped on his head as a baby," Kendall joked, poking James in the shoulder. James rolled his eyes and elbowed him in the side. Lucy was watching them with a slight smirk on her face.

"Anyway, we'll leave you guys to your studying, or homework or whatever it is you diligent students do," she said at last. "We're gonna get going."

James, Kendall and Logan walked on towards their house. "They seem nice," James commented.

"Because they are, are you in a daze today or something?"

"Sorry, I'm just . . . I don't even know. I guess I'm tired. Or maybe I'm just thrown off because we're back at school."

"I can't stand school," Kendall sighed as they opened the front door of the house and walked inside. "Can't wait to leave."

"So, no college for you?"

"No," Kendall scoffed. "What would I do? I'm not smart enough, I don't have the money, and I don't have the motivation."

"I guess so . . ."

"What about you?"

James shrugged. "Not sure I have any of those important factors either, but we'll see how things go. I know I've less time to think about it than you do . . ."

Kendall sat down on the couch. "That's true. I dunno what any of us are going to end up doing." He kicked off his shoes and put his feet up on the couch. James sitting down near where they lay. "I guess Logan would probably be a doctor, or a scientist of some kind. Or maybe even a teacher. He's got the brains for it."

Logan just grunted, not looking at them and taking out his homework.

"Carlos could maybe be a sports coach? He'd be doing something exciting, anyway, something daring. Maybe a stuntman, I don't know."

James laughed. "If Logan's a famous scientist and Carlos is a stuntman, you can be an actor. You're certainly dramatic enough."

"Hey!" Kendall smacked him over the head. "I take offence to that!"

"You won't be offended when you're winning all those Oscars," James teased.

"Okay, I see your point."

"And what about me?"

They both fell into silence, thinking about it. The quiet made James realise it suddenly, even more so than before. He really was a Jo. Who was he? He wasn't smart or stupid or anything . . . "Okay, I think this says enough on its own," he murmured, sighing.

"You could sing."

James looked up. "Huh?"

"A singer. You know, selling albums, performing live—"

"And where'd you get that idea from?"

"I've heard you singing," Kendall said, shrugging like it was really no big deal at all. "In the shower, you're a lot louder than you think. And sometimes when you do chores. You're really good."

"I'm not . . ."

"You are. You've got a really strong voice. It could be on the radio, easy. Believe it, alright?" Kendall picked up his backpack and opened it up, taking his schoolbooks out. "You've got something you're good at, so you need to remember it." And he started his homework without another word. James decided to do the same, pushing what Kendall had said firmly to the back of his mind, amongst all those other boxed up thoughts. He's think about them later.

The three of them sat quietly and did their homework. James guessed his mom was at work; she must've returned there by bus now that everything was relatively settled at home. He wondered what she actually did there, and why he was just blank enough not to ever bother asking. He was a teenager, fair enough, it was to be expected. Sort of. Nope, it was pretty expected.

Logan was the only one almost finished when the front door burst open md Carlos stormed in, seething. "Where is he?!"

James and Logan instantly pointed to Kendall, who looked up and put his books down. "Did you want something?" he asked sweetly, smiling innocently.

Carlos growled, reaching forward and yanking him to his feet by the front of his shirt. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Kendall shrugged. "What's wrong with you, I think, would be a better question."

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO GOT ME DETENTION," Carlos roared, shaking him violently. "FOR NO FUCKING REASON!"

"Carlos," James started uncertainly. "Don't—"

"I fucking felt like it, asswipe," Kendall snapped, completely unfazed though there was practically steam coming out of Carlos's ears. "Maybe next time, don't kick my chair, and don't take up all the time in the bathroom just so I can't take a shower!"

"He made me scrape all the gum off the bottom of the tables and chairs! Do you have any idea how much gum that is?!"

"Nope, should I care?"

"You don't fucking care about anyone but yourself, that's your problem! You're just so self-absorbed and cocky and what the hell was that?! I'm pretty sure if you looked down you could see the outline of that pervy old man's two-inch dick!"

James had to cover his mouth to muffle his laughter.

"Whatever!" Kendall scoffed. "I did it to get a rise out of you, and it worked."

"Oh, is that the only reason?" James could see that look in both of their eyes, especially Carlos. He wanted to lash out and hurt. "You sure it's not just because you're so fucking desperate you'll hop up on any dick that comes your way—"

"Fuck off—"

"You just can't handle hearing the truth! You're just looking for attention all the fucking time, even if it means throwing yourself at every guy you see! That's probably the kind of attention you like, or are you trying to prove a point? Trying to prove to yourself that you actually mean something to people, when in reality you're nothing! Nothing but a fucking prostitute!"

Kendall slapped Carlos harder than he ever had. It was so loud Logan actually looked up, for the first time since the fight had started. James had a feeling Kendall always slapped rather than punched, not because he was a different kind of fighter, but because it seemed to express a lot more anger.

Though Carlos seemed to think differently. Because as he punched Kendall in the face and sent him flying to the floor, he expressed a lot of anger right back.

"Guys!" James exclaimed. "Come on, yell at each other all you want but don't—"

"YOU BUSTED MY LIP! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" And Carlos was tackled to the floor by a raging Kendall.

James covered his ears and closed his eyes, groaning. He could hear them both screaming and yelling at each other, and could hear many grunts of pain and slams against the furniture. And here he was, thinking they'd improved. Clearly that wasn't the case, and it pissed him off. Why couldn't they just get along and stop trying to get on each other's nerves constantly! They'd lessen everyone's headache.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, RIGHT NOW!"

Kendall and Carlos stopped that they were doing, looking over at Logan. They both looked shocked. And wrecked, but that wasn't important. James looked over too and saw Logan on his feet, fists clenched, face red. He was trembling with anger. "Just stop!" he shouted. "I'm so fucking sick of you, of all of you! Why can't you all just grow a brain, I can't . . ." He shook harder and let out a roar of frustration, hands pulling his hair. "I can't take it anymore!" And he picked up his backpack and stormed out, slamming the door so hard in bounced on the frame and stayed swinging open.

After a moment or two of stunned silence, Kendall got up and sat back on the couch, hugging his knees and saying nothing. Carlos got up and sat where Logan had been sitting, picking up his bag and saying nothing. James put his schoolbooks away, saying noting.

Kendall wiped blood from his lip, and said quietly at last, "I thought he was getting better." No signs of remorse, or any apology, but it was better than nothing.

"So did I," Carlos replied sullenly. "Until today."

"Maybe it's because we're back at school," James suggested.

Kendall frowned at him, looking puzzled. "But I thought he liked school."

"So did I. I'm sure he still does, maybe he's just tired?"

"Maybe . . ." Carlos sighed. "I guess we should leave him alone, anyways. Let him cool off and stuff."

So they did. James, at last, went to turn on the TV. They sat in silence for a while, watching Friends. For some reason, it didn't seem half as funny as it used to. James sighed, looking away from the screen and glancing at Kendall and Carlos. Kendall, like he'd said, had a bloody lip, but he didn't seem to be severely injured. Carlos was the same. Funny. Even though their fights always seemed to be severe, they never hurt each other too badly. It was interesting.

Brooke came home half an hour later, announcing she'd found a new job. "I wouldn't get it normally, but luckily a member or two of staff quit recently so . . . lucky me!"

"Where are you working?"

"It's a similar job to what I had before," she explained. "But I'll be working from the afternoon to maybe ten at night, rather than starting in the morning. In a way it's better for me; I don't have to rush around in the morning to get ready. But it also means you boys will be alone for dinner—"

"We'll manage, I'm sure," Kendall reassured her. "Don't worry about it."

"Thanks, boys." She smiled at the three of them. "So, how was school?"

The three boys exchanged glances, and said nothing.


End file.
